Loss and Gain
by Jenny T
Summary: On the day of a wedding, Logan thinks about how far they've come - and the price that's been paid.


Disclaimer:  Me own nothing.  Me poor.  No sue.

Logan stood on the balcony, looking out at the preparations below.  Various students were running about, arranging flowers, moving tables.

He just wanted to get as far away as possible.  Didn't want to listen to Jubilee, jumping up and down in her yellow bridesmaids dress.  Didn't want to listen to Red about how happy she was.  Didn't want to hang around and help Remy calm Summers down.

He snorted as he saw the television crew moving into place.  Oh yeah.  _Now they were all swarming around, wanting 'exclusive coverage'.  How far they'd come, Chuck would say.  What people always forgot to mention, in Logan's opinion, was __how much they'd lost._

A few minutes of wandering aimlessly, and he ended up at the graveyard.  Whenever he let his mind wander, and his feet go as they please, he ended up here.  He sighed, planting one hand on the fence and looking up at the inscription on the arch.

'Loved Forever, Forgotten Never'.

As always, he visited them in the order they'd given up their lives.  St. John, the kid he'd never really known; he'd taken a bullet for Rogue sometime in the two years Logan had been wandering around Canada looking for answers.

The next three were harder.  The first, a grave covered in Roses, read 'Ororo N'Dare Monroe'.  She'd died at the hands of Magneto, ten years ago.  Gumbo had gone mad with sorrow, more feral than Logan at his worst.  He'd rushed at Magneto, without thought, without reason.  Eric had perished, and Remy with him.  Their graves lay beside Ororo's – Chuck had insisted that Magneto be buried in the mansion grounds.

Only Logan knew that Charles Xavier still came here every week, not to talk to his fallen children, but to a friend long lost.

He sat down, besides Ororo's grave.

"Hey there, darlin'.  I know I haven't been here in a while.  Wedding plans, and all."

He shrugged.  "I just came out to let ya know, they're finally going through with it.  Took 'em long enough, I know, but with everything else that happened…"

Suddenly he heard soft footsteps behind him.

"Shouldn't ya be getting ready, Red?"

She laughed.  "I thought I was supposed to be the telepath here.  You're ducking out of the wedding then?"

"I don't think One-eye will mind."

Elizabeth Jean Summers giggled.  "Oh, Dad doesn't hate you as much as you think.  I just came out to say hi to Mom before I went back."

"Wanna stay?"

Elizabeth hit him.  "I'm the flower girl – I have to go.  But I brought you this."

She handed him the portable television.

"I thought you might like to listen in on the big event."

"Thanks."

"I gotta go calm Kitty down.  I love her and all, and she'll make a great step-mom, but not so good with the pressure."  She moved past him, to lay her hand on the last stone.

**Jean Summers.  Beloved Wife, Devoted Mother, Loyal Friend.**

Logan watched her for a few seconds, her head bowed, her eyes closed.  Elly Jean never talked to her mother out loud.

He ducked as she took another swipe at him on the way out.  "Enjoy the show!"

The TV flickered a little, but once he hit it, the picture was steady enough.

"Well." he said to no one in particular.  "Let's see what we've got shall we?"

_"Welcome back!  I'm Betsey Worthington, and we're here at the elite mutant training facility, Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted, for the wedding of Senator Katherine Pryde, and leader of the Mutant Security branch of the CIA, Scott Summers.  It's sure to be a celebrity packed event; since dawn, thousands of well wishers have thronged outside the gates of Xavier's._

_The ceremony will be followed by the unveiling of a new monument, designed by the renowned artists Robert and Marie Frost; the monument is dedicated to the victims of anti-mutant prejudice, an"_

"Right." said Wolverine to himself.  "I've had enough of that."

He stood up and stretched.  Time to face the music.  Rogue would kick his ass if he missed _this wedding._

But as always, he first blew a kiss to the earth beneath which Jean Summers lay.

And for once, he didn't try to stop the tears running down his cheeks.

Hell, wasn't it traditional to cry at weddings?

A/N: Yes, I know I mentioned two Remy's.  All will be explained in the companion fic.


End file.
